[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/runaways018_CMYK.jpg]][[caption-width-right:300:Clockwise from top left: Karolina, Alex, Chase, Gert, Molly, and Nico. (The dinosaur is [[FluffyTheTerrible Old Lace]].)]]

->'''Karolina''': ''Is anyone else having a hard time processing this? I mean, no matter what you guys saw down there, it sounds like our parents have been leading some kind of freaky double lives...for years, probably. How is that possible?''->'''Gert''': ''What? How is it possible that our parents lied to us? Let's see: Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, um, '''God.''' "You're the prettiest kid in school. This won't hurt a bit. Your face will freeze like that..."''->'''Alex''': ''"Everything's going to be all right."''

Imagine if your parents were {{superhero}}es! More than that, imagine that, one day, you and your friends discover that your and their parents were a secret organization of superheroes! Sure, they don't cry out for attention like Comicbook/TheAvengers, but that's okay, right?

Now imagine that, about five seconds after discovering this, you find out that they are actually super''villains''. Imagine you discover this when you see them kill a teenage girl and place her soul in a jar. Suddenly, you and your friends are in a very different situation. Your parents are supervillains and you are next in line to the family name.

This is how we are introduced to the Creator/MarvelComics series ''Runaways''. Chase Stein, Alex Wilder, Nico Minoru, Karolina Dean, Molly Hayes and Gert Yorkes are old acquaintances. Once a year, their rich parents meet up and hold a charity meeting, and they are stuck in the family room to play while the parents discuss grown up stuff. But one year, when the parents were having their meeting, Alex discovers a secret passageway which allows them to see what really happens in their meetings. They discover their parents are a [[LegionOfDoom secret organization]] called The Pride.

After discovering this, the children run away from home and set up a hideaway called The Hostel. During their escape, one by one, they [[NewSuperPower discover powers and abilities]] that they have inherited from their parents. But will they use these powers to become heroes, or will they follow in their parents' footsteps?

With these new powers, a team of supervillains working for their own mysterious goals, and a large superhero community that is convinced it knows what is best for these kids, these friends are thrown into the Franchise/MarvelUniverse to survive however they can. Even if that means they are on the run forever.

Not to be confused with ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Runaways_%28film%29 The Runaways]]'', a film starring DakotaFanning and Creator/KristenStewart, or the [[Music/TheRunaways real-life band]] that the film is based on. A [[http://smallfacescasting.com/ casting call]] has gone out for a movie based on the series but it has been delayed.

Check out [[Characters/{{Runaways}} the character sheet]] to learn more about the individual runaways.

See ''Comicbook/YoungAvengers'' for another young but more "traditional" Marvel superhero team (which the Runaways actually crossed over with more than a few times). Also see ''Comicbook/AvengersArena'' and ''Comicbook/AvengersUndercover'' (co-starring Chase and Nico, with cameos by Molly and Karolina) and ''Avengers A.I.'' (co-starring Victor). However, be warned that their portrayal in aforementioned three books, especially former two, is [[BrokenBase controversional]].

As for December 2013 Nico, in her post-''Avengers Arena'' appearance, joined the ''VideoGame/MarvelAvengersAlliance'' character roster. A year later, Molly Hayes and Karolina Dean were released for the game as well. And in March 2015, Chase Stein (accompanied by Gert's pet dino Old Lace) and Victor Mancha were added, and a ''Runaways''-centered Spec Ops was started where they infiltrate the Kingpin's gang to find out the whereabouts of the Avengers.

The Runaways (or some of them, at least) will feature prominently in the 2015 ''[[ComicBook/SecretWars2015 Secret Wars]]'' event, with their fourth ongoing series hitting shelves --- this time written by [[Webcomic/{{Nimona}} Noelle]] [[ComicBook/{{Lumberjanes}} Stevenson]]. Featuring Molly Hayes and a new group of AlternateUniverse versions of characters like [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Valeria Richards]], [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules Amadeus Cho]], ComicBook/CloakAndDagger and ComicBook/BuckyBarnes, this new series will follow their adventures across Battleworld after discovering their school in TheCity is really an AcademyOfEvil, prompting them to [[RecycledPremise run away]]. For tropes about this series, go [[ComicBook/{{Runaways2015}} here]]. Additionally, Nico will feature as a central character in the all-female ''ComicBook/AForce'' team, fighting alongside some of Marvel's heaviest (lady) hitters, which may also feature Molly and Karolina Dean in cameo appearances.

* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: The sewer that the kids escaped through after their first hostel base got destroyed was big enough to fit about four kids across plus a dinosaur.* ActOfTrueLove: Xavin poses as her beloved Karolina Dean and hands herself over to a group of Majesdanians who blamed Karolina for the destruction of their homeworld, protecting both Karolina and the other Runaways from the Light Brigade's retribution.* ActuallyADoombot: Played with. [[spoiler: We're set up to think that Dr Doom is Victor's dad. Then it turns out to be a Doombot, but one controlled by a completely different supervillain instead of the real Doom.]]* AdultFear:** The kids fight vampires, aliens, and evil robots, but the only reason they have to deal with these things in the first place is that their own parents turn out to be evil. For most of them, this comes as a shock; for Chase, [[AbusiveParents not so much.]] Then they all start living in underground hideaways and putting themselves in danger to keep LA safe from the power vacuum created by their parents, resulting in even more physical and emotional trauma and, [[spoiler: in Gertrude aka Gert's case, death.]]** In one of the earlier chapters, Frank Dean attacks other members of the Pride and completely freaks out when Karolina disappears.** When the kids accidentally travel to the past and run into the Yorks ([[TimeyWimeyBall before they died]]), the Yorks are quite panicked and ask straight away if their daughter is with them. [[spoiler:When they learn that Gertrude is ''dead'', they immediately plan to return to her and make sure she's safe. Then they bring over a futuristic bomb to get revenge on the kids for letting Gert die in ''any'' timeline.]]** In the ''Age of Ultron'' alternate universe Victor Mancha is the caretaker of a bunch of orphans, and the [[spoiler: last of the original Runaways alive]]. The AoU Mancha has two simple fears, less glamorous but scarier than his past ones: he fears to be unable to protect his protegees, and he fears the day he'll start forgetting about the past and the happy moments he shared with his now absent friends.* AdultsAreUseless: The story is an homage to every teen angst film ever made, as in the initial arc all adults are either direct minions of the Pride or under their influence by more subtle means. Numerous heroes appear in the later arcs who, if not incompetent in their own areas, are nonetheless unable to help the main characters because of their attempts to treat them as [[JustAKid just children]].* AliensAndMonsters: The kids fight aliens (Skrulls, Majesdinians, Kree), supernatural beasts (Demons, vampires) and criminals both mundane and super powered. * AlienArtsAreAppreciated: Xavin loves Starbuck's caramel machiato, referring to it as the finest accomplishment of our ''galaxy''.* AlienInvasion: The team gets wrapped up in a Comicbook/SecretInvasion tie-in. -->'''Chase''': "Xavin, what is it with you Skrulls invading things? Not cool."-->'''Molly''': "It's raining Xavins!!"* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Averted. Despite Gert's initial shock, no one seems to mind that Molly is a mutant.** Played straight with her parents who are seen in a flashback defending themselves from an angry mob after being outed as mutants.* AllYourPowersCombined - In the final battle of the third volume, [[spoiler:Alex ends up in control of Chase's fire-blasting gauntlets, Nico's [[MagicWand Staff of One]], ''and'' Gertrude's psychic connection to Old Lace. All of which would have been much more helpful if he weren't TheMole. He had no way to take Molly or Karolina's inborn abilities, but it's still a pretty impressive accomplishment for somebody with no powers of his own.]]* AlternateHistory: The Yorkes visit them. Artifacts from them, such as Samurai battle axes for example, make Mrs. Yorke nervous.* AmbiguouslyJewish: Stein is traditionally a Jewish surname, but Chase once recited a bit of the Lord's Prayer when his life was in peril, which indicates a Christian upbringing. It's possible that he's half-Jewish on his dad's side. He might also be ethnically Jewish but religiously a Christian or a Messianic Jew, though unlikely. (The Yorkes are unambiguously Jewish; Gert has mentioned having a bat mitzvah, though she now claims to be agnostic.)* AMillionIsAStatistic: Discussed, while Karolina is mourning one of her friends Xavin points out that [[spoiler: their entire planet was destroyed.]] If one person dying is tragic then a million people dying must be a million times more tragic.* AncientConspiracy: Well, not that ancient; twenty-five years, at the most.** Unless you consider that [[spoiler:the [[TheManBehindTheMan Gibborim]] were actually behind (and the origin of) the twenty-five-year conspiracy of the kids' parents)]].* AndIMustScream: Happens to [[spoiler:Gert's parents, who are cursed to know everything that will happen to themselves and their daughter, up to and including the deaths of all three of them, and witness it all while being unable to change their actions]].* ApologeticAttacker: Karolina when the first Hostel is attacked by the LAPD.* AppealToObscurity: Chase tells Nico that for New Yorkers, seeing a superhero is the same as seeing Steve Guttenberg. "Who's Steve Guttenberg?" "Exactly."* ArrangedMarriage: Xavin and Karolina had one set up by their parents. ** PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Xavin and Karolina are ''really'' devoted to each other after they head off for the wedding.* TheArtifact: Old Lace's name. It makes sense when the person she has telepathic link to calls her self [[Theatre/ArsenicAndOldLace Arsenic]]. After she drops the code name...not so much. It does get a LampShadeHanging though.* BadassAdorable: Molly, a 12 year old mutant girl with cute hats and superhuman strength. * BadassNormal: Gert, Chase, and Alex have no real powers, but still manage to have their place on the team.* BaldBlackLeaderGuy: KnightTemplar example - Geoffrey Wilder fits the dscription to a T and is the defacto 'leader' of the Pride. * BeatPanel: In the second issue.--> '''Molly''': Duh. S...E...X. I'm not a ''baby''. --> Alex and Gert look at each other--> '''Gert''': Fine. Come on, kid. Let's go powder our noses.--> '''Molly''': That's code for pee, right?** For reference, Alex and Gert were talking about whether or not to tell Molly that they found out that her parents were supervillains. She tells them she already knows what they're whispering about, before delivering the sex line.* BedTrick: When Karolina is dating Xavin, but also has her crush on Nico, Xavin tried [[VoluntaryShapeshifting appearing as Nico]] because she thought that this was what Karolina really wanted and that it would help Karolina deal with her emotions. It did not work; Karolina thought it was "some kind of sick test". Xavin, not being from around here, is somewhat baffled.* BetrayalInsurance: Chase gives Nico a list of LogicBomb questions that will shut their resident robot down if he ever does the FaceHeelTurn that a friendly time traveller warned them about. Given Nico's oft-stated feelings about the possibility of any of her friends betraying the group [[spoiler:again]] no one should be surprised if she has spells thought up for all of her comrades.** Nico even mentions during the Secret Invasion story that she has a spell on hand to ''stop Xavin's heart'', and it was highly likely that she was going to use it when the group assumed that Xavin was betraying them.* BigBad: For the first seven volumes, the Gibborim.* BigBookOfWar: The Abstract, a book given by the Gibborim to the Pride. It contains info about everything related to them, including their future. It can only be read with a special ring that decodifies it. * BigNo: Played entirely straight on numerous occasions, but also probably the only instance of a robot ([[spoiler:Ultron]]) shouting "[=NOOOOO10100101=]!" upon defeat.** The first major BigNo takes place when Wilder screams it after [[spoiler: Alex is burned to a crisp by the Gibborim after [[TheReveal he admits to being]] TheMole [[TheReveal for the Pride]] and, "like an adult," taking responsibility for the girl's lost soul]].* BilingualBonus: Victor does this on two accounts. The first is the Spanish swearing he manages to sneak in. (Also a case of GettingCrapPastTheRadar.) The second is his binary rambling after Chase flips his safety switch. The stream of ones and zeroes out of his mouth? They spell W-T-F.* BlackCloak: The Minorus' outfits fits the trope to a T, complete with face masks and hoods. One problem, the cloaks are crimson. * BloodyMurder: Not quite, Nico's blood just summons the Staff of One. Though she probably could cast a spell that would allow her to play this trope straight.* BoundAndGagged: Pretty much the effect of Chase using a "be quiet" spell on Nico in ''Live Fast''* BrokenAesop: Maybe a deliberate example, but there's a rather blatant one at the end of the "Good Guys Die Young" arc. In an interview, Captain America mentions that, if a kid thinks their parents or tutors are involved in illegal activities, they should't take matters into their own hands and call the police instead. Except that's ''exactly'' the first thing the Runaways did, and it turned out that the police worked for The Pride,meaning that the kids were forced to fight their parents themselves.* BuffySpeak: Tons of it, especially when Whedon is writing.* CaptainEthnic: {{Averted|Trope}}. Despite having several non-white main characters, none of their powers is based on their cultures or stereotypes.* CassandraTruth: No one believes them when they say that (in famously meta-crime free LA) their parents are a cabal of supervillains.** Strictly speaking, there are people who believe them, but they are either [[CorruptCop with the cabal]], or are too incompetent to do anything about it.* ChangelingFantasy: "Evil real family" subversion. This is described at the top of the page.* TheChessmaster: Alex Wilder. He gets it from his father.* ChildrenAreInnocent: Used and Averted. The kids had no idea of their parent's activities, but were understandably left fairly bitter by the aftermath.* CliffhangerCopout: Issue 24. The kids have finally dragged Chase back, they've beaten their foes once and for all, and they're tired and weary as they arrive home... To find Comicbook/IronMan and a bunch of mooks waiting. In Issue 25, they begin by... Meeting with the Kingpin.* ClothingDamage: Volume 3 Chapter 11, Nico's top gets destroyed by [[spoiler:Klara's plants going berserk]]. [[{{Stripperiffic}} Not that there was]] [[FetishFuel much there to begin with...]]* CodeName: Subverted; they made them up, but hardly ever use them (though Molly is still fond of "Princess Powerful").* CombatStilettos: Nico, on at least one occasion--> '''Victor''': Holy... did you see how high I jumped?--> '''Nico''': Yeah... did you see how high my heels are? (Kicks him in the face) Look closely.* CompetenceZone: Anyone over a certain age is useless, even super heroes. {{Franchise/Spider-Man}} managed to get a cool big brother spot, though, and Comicbook/CloakAndDagger have some competence (because their {{backstory}} is that they were also runaways). This is subverted with Molly. Everyone treats her as naive and weak, needing protection, but she is really powerful and knows a lot more than she lets on. * ContinuityPorn: Hey, did you know that during the 90s Rick Jones wrote a book called ''Sidekick?'' No? Well he did!** The fact that they brought in the good Green Goblin may also count.** Bringing in Ricochet from ComicBook/{{Slingers}} doubles. Considering how unpopular and unknown the title was, bringing him in was a bit risky, but ultimately worked.* CourtMartialed: This is [[spoiler:Xavin]]'s apparent fate; they deliver themselves to the Majesdanian Light Brigade and are taken away to answer for their role in the destruction of Majesdane. Since there is presumably no civilian government left, the trial is likely to be a court-martial.* CousinOliver: Klara. She is randomly found and recruited by the Runaways in 1907. Other than the occasional DeliberateValuesDissonance due to being a FishOutOfTemporalWater, she has little personality and little effect on subsequent storylines.* CPRCleanPrettyReliable: [[spoiler: Gert gives Chase CPR after he nearly drowns. He's in no shape to move immediately afterwards, but recovers quickly enough to hotwire the Leapfrog and interrupt the big fight.]]* CursedWithAwesome: Averted. Molly is actually quite happy to discover she's a mutant. Similarly, [[spoiler: Victor doesn't at all seem to mind finding out that he's a robot, although that might be because he was too busy being traumatized about the circumstances around the revelation]]. Only Karolina is upset by her non-human origin, but even then it only takes a few seconds for her to be distracted by how awesome her powers actually are.* CuteBruiser: Molly is ''the'' CuteBruiser, in that her code name is "Bruiser" and she is adorable.* CrossOver: ''Runaways'' has its own plotlines, but it seems like it is also open house for every other Marvel character to appear.** Not to mention in two out of the three {{Crisis Crossover}}s (''Comicbook/CivilWar'' and ''SecretInvasion'') they were involved in they were forced to team up with the ''YoungAvengers''. The remaining one (''MysticArcanna'') was a solo adventure of Nico's.** Recently, after their own ongoing series was 'put on hiatus' they have appeared in numerous recent series:*** ''{{ComicBook/Daken}}: Dark Wolverine'': Where Chase explains what happened after [[spoiler: he was hospitalized in a car accident]] with "I got better".*** ''ComicBook/AgeOfUltron'': Where Victor is the only one alive after Ultron killed off the rest of the Runaways.*** ''Comicbook/AvengersAcademy'': Where Nico reveals [[spoiler: she saved Old Lace by shunting him into a parallel universe which has the same magic signature as Reptil's amulet.]] Karolina also begins dating [[ComicBook/PowerPack Julie Power]]. *** ''Comicbook/AvengersArena'': Where Nico and Chase are participants, with Molly searching for them. [[spoiler: Nico dies, but [[CameBackStrong Comes Back Strong.]]]] *** ''ComicBook/AvengersUndercover'': Following the events of ''Arena'', Nico and Chase join the other survivors as they infiltrate the Masters of Evil. *** ''Comicbook/BattleOfTheAtom'': Where a future Molly Hayes [[spoiler:[[FaceHeelTurn is a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants]]. She turns out to be brainwashed, however.]] *** ''Avengers AI'': Where Victor is recruited to join the team by his "brother", the Vision, and "grandfather", Hank Pym. *** ''ComicBook/AllNewXMen'': The Molly Hayes from ''Battle of the Atom'' returns, [[spoiler: along with the rest of the future Brotherhood.]]* ADayInTheLimelight: Molly once had an issue revolve around her and some kidnapped children.* DeadpanSnarker: Everyone gets snarky lines, especially with Joss Whedon writing them. Mostly Gert, though. She gets the most. * DealWithTheDevil: Well, with the HalfHumanHybrid descendants of fallen angels.* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Klara and the primary cast grew up a century apart, and there are occasional conflicts over different social norms. Karolina is shocked at abuse Klara deals with, while Klara freaks out when she sees Xavin (who chooses to be black in human guise and chooses to be a woman for Karolina) and Karolina kissing. Molly, meanwhile, ([[ObfuscatingStupidity seemingly]]) completely misses the implications of Klara saying that she does not enjoy her "marital duties". ("He makes you do ''chores''?")* DepartmentOfChildDisservices: Portrayed as incompetent in the series. Karolina, for instance, is placed with drug-addicted foster parents who don't notice her disappearance.* DependingOnTheArtist: Especially striking with recent Chase and Victor. Some people didn't even recognize the latter in Pichelli's rendition.* DigitalPiracyIsEvil: Seriously. Victor using a neighbour's unprotected Wi-Fi to pirate music may or may have not caused a plane to crash into the Malibu house [[spoiler: killing Old Lace, though Chase survived.]]* DiscountLesbians: Karolina and Xavin. Karolina is the traditional embodiment of the trope, an alien, whereas Xavin (Who is also an alien) compounds the issue by also being a [[GenderBender shape-shifter]].* DittoAliens: Mrs. Dean makes a comment about how all the Skrull look alike to her.* DoubleStandard: Happens in-universe, when Nico has a dream that her parents are slut-shaming her for having been with three guys thus far in her life. She points out that it's unfair to consider her a harlot while her father was implied to have had several girlfriends before ''he'' got married.%%* DramaticIrony: Happens throughout the series.* ElaborateUndergroundBase: The original Hostel was an entire mansion underground, though some of the Pride facilities are more standard versions of this setting.* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Karolina's not alone in finding Nico attractive. Some goth girls and the evil witch from Nico's Mystic Arcana tie-in are seen expressing sexual interest in her.* EveryonesBabySister: Molly and Klara fill this role, to varying degrees - Molly is ''everyone's'' baby sister, but Klara is more of a little sister to Nico and Karolina, while Chase and Victor treat her more like a Ladette. Oddly enough, the baby sister aura even seems to affect other people in the Marvel universe - for instance, during ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion'', Speed of the ComicBook/YoungAvengers literally went out of his way to keep Molly and Klara safe during a battle with the Skrulls. While he knew (and played around with) Molly during their previous team-up, Klara was brand-new. * EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: Old Lace, a Deinonychus. * EvilParentsWantGoodKids: The Pride's evil, and the kids are all heroes trying to stop them. [[spoiler: Mostly.]]* EvilPowerVacuum: LA from volume two onwards: with the Pride gone, minor supervillains are pouring in, wanting either to replace the Pride or simply take advantage of an easy target. * FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Alex Wilder]]** [[spoiler: Molly Hayes' future counterpart is ]] a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants in a crossover with ''ComicBook/AllNewXMen'' during ''Battle of the Atom'', and again during a story arc beginning in #26. [[spoiler:It turns out she's brainwashed, however]].* FastballSpecial: Almost namedropped when Victor asks Molly to throw him at [[spoiler: the Gibborim]].* TheFagin: Provost fits this trope to a T, getting runaway kids to steal for him. * FailureHero: The team is understandably this in the first volume. Having just discovered their abilities, they barely manage to survive encounters with their parents, Topher and Cloak and Dagger. They finally beat their parents, but only because they were unarmed. This gets averted later on when they become competent in fighting groups of super powered people. After the second volume ends, however, thing SnapBack. In ''Dead End Kids'' and ''Rock Zombies'', where the team spends large amounts of time being hindered by an alien bubble weapon, or ridiculous side effects from Nico's spells which have suddenly become ridiculously powerful.* FamilyValuesVillain: While their styles of parenting range from hands off to strict/abusive, the supervillain parents in [[VillainsOutShopping maintain normal upper middle class lives when not involved in villainy]] and have typical expectations of their children being successful and want to make the world a better place for them, and believe they are doing what is best for them... by letting the Gibborim destroy and remake it so their kids can live in paradise. The series is practically the poster child for EvenEvilHasLovedOnes / EvilParentsWantGoodKids. * FantasyKitchenSink: The Gibborim exploited this for all it was worth when picking the Pride. Time-travelers, magicians, glowing aliens, mutants, scientists and [[BadassNormal Badass Normals]], all in one group.* FictionalCounterpart: In the first few volumes the kids often went to a Circle A convinience stores, a light-hearted parody of the real life Circle K chain. * FirstKiss: The first one in the series is between [[spoiler: Nico and Alex]]. Later on in Volume 1, we get a KissOfLife (see below) between [[spoiler: Gert and Chase]], which soon becomes the real deal.* FishOutOfTemporalWater: Used twice. Happened first with [[spoiler:Geoffrey Wilder]] but made moot at a later point of the story because his [[EasyAmnesia memory was erased]]. Now current with [[spoiler:Klara]] who is still adjusting.* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Chamber confronts Molly, she asks him who he thinks he's fooling with that fake accent. [[spoiler:The very end of the arc reveals that this isn't the real Chamber, but someone using an artifact of the Minorus' to impersonate him. Later still, it's revealed to be a time-displaced Geoffrey Wilder, who calls Molly out on it, telling her that he knows she's smarter than she's acting.]]* FridgeHorror: InUniverse, Molly says that when she once beat Alex at Chinese checkers, he threatened to throw her down a well...which is a lot scarier now that she thinks about it, [[spoiler:since Alex turned out to be TheMole and was working with their parents]].* FunWithAcronyms: Karolina's code name, "'''L'''ucy in the '''S'''ky with '''D'''iamonds", referencing Music/TheBeatles song.* GenderBender: When Xavin finds out [[spoiler:Karolina is a lesbian, and that is why they can't be together,]] he nonchalantly informs her that Skrull can change their gender as easily as humans can change their hair, and [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifts]] into a woman.* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Chase's not-so-subtle joke regarding his girlfriend in Volume 2, Issue #1.-->'''Nico:''' We're the ones who created the power vacuum.-->'''Chase:''' Heh, "power vacuum". That should be Gert's new codename.* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Invoked to emphasize the Pride's MoralMyopia. Chase's mother refused to give up her baby, [[HypocriticalHumor claiming she wasn't a monster]]...while she and the rest of the Pride were about to sacrifice an innocent girl.* GoshDangItToHeck: It's not uncommon to see the occasional $#%@, but Nico at least tries to get Molly to say "heck" instead of "hell." * GratuitousSpanish: Victor has his bouts of this. * GreenLanternRing: Nico's spells. Except the ones she's done before, and that's only in theory. In the original series, before Cloak and Dagger found them out looking for bad guys to fight, she used "Burst!" to pop paint cans, and in ''Secret Invasion: Young Avengers / Runaways'', she uses "Pop!" to pop force fields. On the other hand, in ''Young Avengers / Runaways: Civil War'', she asks the Vision to give her some help with new words for her spells, implying that only the actual one- or two-word incantation (on one memorable occasion, five: [[spoiler:The show must go on.]]) can't be repeated, which should really let her do a lot more things.** She has to be careful about her word choice, however, especially in earlier comics before she increased her magical mastery. There was no guarantee a certain combination of words would do what she intended. Saying "Rock and Roll" with the intent of just making the ground shake a bit caused a cave-in that nearly killed the whole team.* HandWave: The logistics of living as runaways (where do they get food, etc.) are mentioned every now and then, but usually just gilded over. Though it is implied that as they start using abandoned Pride [[SupervillainLair bases]] as "The Hostel" that these places were already fully stocked with supplies, and possibly money, should the Pride themselves need to hide out there.** And then there's Frank Dean's explanation of how the Abstract works:--->'''Dean:''' It's magic, mutant. If you think about it too hard, your '''brain''' will explode.* HappilyMarried: All six couples in the Pride, despite being supervillains.* {{Hellfire}}: Nico casts it at least once.** And one of them is mocked by Spider-Man, as he dodges it.--> '''Spider-Man:''' Ah, hellfire. When regular fire just simply won't do.* HeroicBSOD: The "blue screen of death" is referenced by name. Also a more literal example than most cases, as [[spoiler: Victor is actually a cyborg.]]* HitMeDammit: Nico once asked Gert to use Old Lace to bite her to summon the Staff of One. Gert refused so Nico threatened to choke Gert to death if Old Lace didn't do anything. She bit her.* HowDareYouDieOnMe: Gender flipped with [[spoiler:Chase's reaction to Gert's death.]]* HowDidYouKnowIDidnt: Twice - played seriously with [[spoiler: Karolina's blood killing Topher]] in volume one, because [[spoiler:she had no idea it would happen and honestly wanted to die]]. Played for laughs in volume three.* HumanAliens: Majesdanians in their powered-down form look just like H. Sapes. Powered up, they look like humans in a particularly overlit nightclub.* HumanOutsideAlienInside: Majesdanians. On the surface they look like normal humans, but their bodies apparently store and then expel solar energy.* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: A random thug tries to do this to Karolina in the 1907 arc. Fortunately, she blasts the crap out of him in the next panel.* IconicSequelCharacter: Victor Mancha became an important part if the team's plot, has significant links to greater Marvel Universe, and now that the book is on hiatus he's the only member of the team to be in an ongoing. He doesn't make his first appearance until Runaways' second volume. Likewise, Xavin, a character that gained the series some minor attention for being gender fluid, doesn't appear until a few issues after Victor's first appearance, and doesn't join the team or really have much effect on the plot, aside from having a character Put on a Bus for an arc, until Volume 3.* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Nearly all the collected editions have titles that reference songs.* IncompatibleOrientation: [[spoiler: Karolina is gay and likes Nico. Nico, however, is not -- or at the very least very confused.]]** Played with in the case of Karolina and [[spoiler: Xavin]]. Karolina explains to him that she can't date him because she's a lesbian, [[spoiler: at which point he says that it's not a problem and shapeshifts into a woman]]. * {{Irony}}: Early on in the series, the Runaways encounter a [[spoiler:vampire]] who dupes them into thinking he's in the same situation as they are. When he [[spoiler:gets Nico alone and tries to turn her, he gets stabbed through the chest with her staff. When she seems surprised that he hasn't dusted, he tells her "Whedon got it wrong," and that the only thing that would kill him is sunlight.]] Creator/JossWhedon, of course, later joined the writing staff. * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Chase is more a more traditional jerk, Xavin on the other hand is a jerk due to alien cultural misunderstandings regarding various things (IE: the treatment of robots). Both are good people despite their flaws. * JustAMachine: Victor gets this a lot especially from Xavin early on.* TheKidWithTheRemoteControl: Gert, for Old Lace. * KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Alex, Gert, and Old Lace,]] though as of the last issue it looks like [[spoiler:Gert and Old Lace]] might come back.** [[spoiler: Old Lace? Yes (''ComicBook/AvengersAcademy' #27-28 contains the story of how). Gert? Not so much]]** [[spoiler: And it looks like Alex is back as well..still no sight of Gert.]]* KissOfLife: [[spoiler: Gert and Chase's]] FirstKiss (above) is one of these.* KnightTemplarParent: All of the Pride could be said to fit in this category, in that they're planning on giving the reward they earn for their DealWithTheDevil to the kids. [[spoiler:Not everyone is planning to honor this arrangement.]] And being a KnightTemplarParent does not necessarily translate to being a good or bad one in everyday life: the parents range from being informal and friendly (Karolina's) to outright abusive (Chase's) and everywhere in between.* LaserGuidedAmnesia: To preserve their secret, the Pride wipe memories from Cloak and Dagger. At least they use telepathy, legitimizing the trope. [[spoiler: But then Cloak regains his memories after a [[FonzarelliFix swift smack on the head]] from {{Luke Cage|HeroForHire}}, and this is played totally straight.]]* LaterInstallmentWeirdness: After Creator/BrianKVaughan left ''Runaways'', the series struggled to find a consistent theme. First there was a time-travel arc, then an arc involving the Majesdanians trying to capture Karolina for her role in the destruction of their planet, then an arc where a Creator/HowardStern expy tries to initiate a ZombieApocalypse in Los Angeles, and finally the DarkerAndEdgier "Homeschooling" arc, which turned into such a mess that Marvel put the series on more-or-less permanent hiatus...* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: The first thing we see in issue #10 (book five) is Wolverine, and Iron Man commenting:--->'''Iron Man''': A [[WolverinePublicity Wolverine]] appearance? [[SarcasmMode How novel.]]* LikeFatherUnlikeSon: The eponymous characters are a team of HeroesWithBadPublicity, whereas their parents were [[VillainWithGoodPublicity villains with good publicity]].* LiteralGenie: The "Staff Of One" becomes one in Vol. 3, and it still keeps the "Only cast the same spell once" rule. * LogicBomb: Poor [[spoiler:Victor]]; justified in that it's a deliberate failsafe. And the logic bomb itself (and the reset switch) are ''hilarious''.* LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: Nico has a track record of bad guy boyfriends and failed relationships.* LoveMakesYouEvil: [[spoiler:Chase goes off the deep end after Gert dies. He gets better.]]* MadScientist* MetallicarSyndrome: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] but [[DiscussedTrope discussed]] early, where Chase drives the Runaways around and one of them complains about how uncool his plain white van is; he responds that he got it on purpose because a plain white van is the most inconspicuous vehicle possible.* {{Miko}}: The costume of the Witchbreaker, who is [[spoiler: Nico's great grandmother]] is based on that of the miko.* TheMole: Key part of the plot for the comic's first year and half. It is [[TheReveal revealed]] to be [[spoiler: [[MoleInCharge Alex Wilder]]]], by self-admittance. See TheReveal below.* {{Mons}}: Old Lace is an emphatically bonded velociraptor genetically engineered from the 82nd century for Gert. She's at her beck and call. * MoralDissonance: Nico's "The show must go on" spell that she cast on the Yorkes was a HUGE dick move, but the subject is dropped the very next panel and events move on without a word about it.** Nico's attitude in general was forgotten for awhile after. [[spoiler:She was tortured and then showed up performing much more powerful spells and it was implied that the spell she cast on the Yorkes was a sign that she was developing a Dark Side. This was pretty much glossed over until the whole "Don't take the Staff of One from me" thing.]]* MotiveRant: There's super-villains about, they happen. * MundaneUtility: Nico using powerful ancient magic to ''renovate a freakin' condo'' "Ocean View!" indeed...* MysteriousBacker: It's pretty much how it starts the second series. A phone calls the superheroes for OneLastJob; they call him out on it, but they still take the offer.* NiceHat: Molly's collection of adorable hats. At one point, she puts one on the team dinosaur.* TheNicknamer: No one individual, rather all members of the team toss nicknames around that range in use from one-time teases to regularly calling to Nico as "boss".* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted not once but twice, first as a mention of how convenient those days are for Nico to use magic as she doesn't need to hurt herself to use the staff (which, at that point, required her to 'shed blood' to summon it), second time as she and Karolina once went shopping for supplies.* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: Averted with the Leapfrog.* NoRomanticResolution: The third series was apparently supposed to end with [[spoiler:Chase being reunited with Gert]], but the series was abruptly cancelled halfway through the last arc, so instead, [[spoiler:he runs into a girl who may or may not be Gert, then gets hit by a car while chasing after her]].* NotSoDifferent: Many, many sly moments where one of the kids acts just like their parents without realizing it.* NotWearingTights: Mostly. Molly ''once'' wore a self-made CivvieSpandex costume. It failed to catch on.** They get costumes in the non-continuity story ''"What if the Runaways Had Become the Young Avengers'', which runs as a 5-part backup story in the 2008 series of ''What If?''* NunsAreSpooky: Black Maria, a nun-like superheroine from the time travel storyline.* ObfuscatingStupidity: Molly acts like a six-year-old most of the time, but every once in a while she reveals herself to be much, much smarter (she is, in fact, twelve). For the most part, her weak little girl persona is an act to hide her real intentions. She fools almost everyone, but a few characters, like her parents, see through it. Her father (who, remember, is telepathic) claims that she "acts childlike to lower people's defenses" but actually has "a ferocious intellect". In one battle with Alex's father, he confronts her with it:-->'''Molly''': ''Please, mister! Don't hurt me!''-->'''Wilder''': ''Skip the waterworks, kid. Your cloying Rudy Huxtable routine is just an act you put on to get attention from your older friends. Why don't you behave like the bright young woman we both know you are?''-->'''Molly''': ''F-fine. [[spoiler:Your son took after you, you know. He was a total frickin' failure.]]''* OffModel: ''Runaways 3''...good grief, ''Runaways 3''. It slowly gets better, but at first it was as if the artist had never seen a non-white person. The exaggerated style did not help things compared to the more solid or anime-inspired styles of the past. * OneSteveLimit: Subverted. Three Victors appear in the series (Mancha, Stein, and Doom). [[spoiler: This Doom turns out to be a robot built by Ultron]].** Which was played with. Doom claims to be Mancha's father and says that "Your mother was brave enough to anoint you with my name, but not to tell you of her dalliances as a young woman, in Latveria."* OnlyChildSyndrome: Justified - the six couples agreed to donate their spots to a single child each, rather than worry about which six of them the Gibborim would select once the plan was complete. * OpponentSwitch: [[spoiler: how the final battle against the Pride goes.]]* OppositesAttract: [[spoiler: Gert and Chase, a nerd and a jock.]]* OurVampiresAreDifferent : Lampshaded with a smug reference to ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' creator Joss Whedon - and how he "[[YourVampiresSuck got it wrong]]". Within the Marvel universe there are different types of vampires, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.* OutOfFocus: Old Lace, since the "Dead wrong" arc. She's still there, but nobody mentions her, and she's not even used during the combat situations. * PerkyGoth: Nico dresses in gothic clothing but stats with a rather positive outlook on things. She hardens as life goes on. * PersonalityPowers: Used straight, subverted, and doubly subverted. Goth girl Nico is a dark witch [[BloodyMurder whose powers are activated by spilling blood]]...and it annoys her. ValleyGirl Karolina is a walking light show who isn't as perky as she looks. The smallest of them has super strength, and the dumb jock is in charge of all the [[WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys wonderful toys]].* PoliticallyCorrectHistory: Averted with the team's TimeTravel adventure to 1907. Nico encounters racism, the team meets Klara who's trapped in a squicky ArrangedMarriage to a much older man, and Xavin changes her default human form to a white male. * ThePowerOfLove: In the ''Dead Wrong'' arc** [[spoiler:Subverted in the case of Victor and Lillie. Despite being very much in love with each other, Lillie panics at the idea of going with Victor to the future and stays behind. We later see that she grew up to regret chickening out, to the point at which she tries to warn Victor to bring her with him before he travels through time. She still doesn't go.]]* PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy: Chase occasionally calls Alex "bro", much to the latter's irritation. Later, he calls Victor "amigo", getting a similar chilly response.* PutOnABus: [[spoiler: Xavin, and Karolina went through this for a time]]. Though she came back surprisingly fast for this trope. [[spoiler: then Xavin left and there's no sign yet of Xavin's return]]* ReinventingTheTelephone: An odd example. When the Wilders need to talk to the other members of the Pride, they use a Video-Phone, presumably just a convenient webcam, but the other couples all use a variant based on their area of expertise. The wizards have a mystical portal, the scientists have a Hologram, etc. * TheReveal: When [[spoiler: Alex]] admits to being TheMole (above) for the Pride.** While vaguely hinted at earlier in Volume 1, it is revealed that Karolina likes Nico. After [[spoiler: Alex's betrayal]], when Nico claims she's sworn off boys forever, Karolina blushes and is very pleased to hear this. Karolina later tries to kiss Nico, unsuccessfully. It's implied much later, in Vol. 3 #10, that she did eventually get to, but fans debate whether this was an intentional reveal or James Asmus was just confused about what happened between them before his run.* ReverseMole: Towards the end of the first volume, a few members of the Pride start wondering if one of them is on the kids' side, turns out it's [[spoiler:just a RedHerring]]** [[FridgeLogic Though there could have been a Reverse Mole within the Pride.]] They were all [[spoiler:killed by the Gibborim]] so we can never be sure.* RubberMan: Xavin, amongst his other Super Skrull powers.* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: The Pride have admittedly ''bought out most of California,'' allowing them to do pretty much whatever the hell they want.* SecretLegacy: The kids find out their parents are super villains and all get powers/items of importance from them. * SecretProjectRefugeeFamily (After running away, the kids adopted each other as a new family)* SexForSolace: Nico has a self-admitted tendency to throw herself at the nearest male in the aftermath of any stressful or traumatic scenario, although she does not progress to [[TheirFirstTime actual sex]] until well into the second volume of the series. She knows it is not healthy and is not fair to herself ''or'' whomever she throws herself at, but she cannot seem to break the pattern.* ShapeshiftingSeducer: Xavin tries this with Karolina, but doesn't tell her before hand. * ShipperOnDeck: Most of the group was this for Gert and Chase. After the two have a fight, Karolina assures Chase that they'll make up and "You two are made for each other!"* ShipTease: Nico and Karolina's on-again off-again UnresolvedSexualTension. Of course, [[spoiler:Karolina is canonically gay and has expressed her feelings for Nico.]] Toned down when Xavin enters the picture but comes back [[UpToEleven full force]] after she's [[spoiler:PutOnABus while disguised as Karolina to answer for the crimes of Karolina's parents.]] It is even hinted that Nico might have feelings for Karolina and is jealous of Xavin. She seems slightly disappointed to learn that they are still together upon their return to Earth. Nico later tries to undermine their relationship by asking if Xavin's female form is her TrueSelf. She also confesses in a game of "Truth or Dare" that out of all the people she had kissed, Karolina was the best kisser.* ShoutOut: ** Three characters are named after creator Brian K. Vaughan's family. In addition, Music/TheWho get a shout or two: the "hope I die" quotation from Alex, as well as one of the story arcs being called "Teenage Wasteland."** Not to mention Molly's affection for [[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs]].** And at one point in Volume 2, Issue 6 Nico shouts, [[Music/PinkFloyd "Shine on you crazy diamond!"]]** Don't forget [[Theatre/ArsenicAndOldLace Gert's codename and her dinosaur's name]].** Not to mention ''Karolina's nickname'', [[Music/TheBeatles Lucy in the Sky...with Diamonds]].** When asked what he was dreaming about, Victor answered '[[Literature/DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep electric sheep]]'.** Also, one of the story arcs is called Pride and Joy, which may be a reference to a Stevie Ray Vaughn song.** The scene in Volume 1 where the entire team is trapped and surrounded by fallen rubble with one character holding everything up should seem familiar to fans of ComicBook/SecretWars.** Victor Mancha owns a copy of Rick Jones's (Comicbook/IncredibleHulk character) book ''Sidekick.''*** On top of that the copy is even beaten up as though it was published a while ago (the 90s to be precise).** In the alternate future of volume 4, Victor as Victorious' appearance and MO is exactly like [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles Syndrome]]. Killing all superheroes? A black one piece costume with domino mask and the first letter of his codename? Electricity-based powers? ** When Victor first meets the team, he calls them the WebAnimation/TeenGirlSquad. ** Karolina's parents named themselves after Creator/JamesDean from ''Film/RebelWithoutACause''. ** Molly makes several references to ''Literature/HarryPotter''. Presumably she's a fan.* SickeninglySweethearts: Chase and Gert after they start to use pet names for each other. * SinsOfOurFathers: Karolina gets hit with this twice - [[spoiler: Alex]] invokes it while threatening her at the climax of Volume 1, and in the first arc of Volume 3 features are more drawn-out case. * SixthRanger: After the first volume,t he gang adds quite a few new faces to the crew: Victor (''Codename: Victorious (Future self)''), Xavin and Klara. * SixthRangerTraitor: [[spoiler:Topher, when he reveals he's a vampire just out to eat them]]* SleepingDummy: "[[LampshadeHanging What is our son doing with a male mannequin head in his room?]]"* SmallReferencePools: Subverted. Just LOOK at the Shout Outs this series has. * TheSmurfettePrinciple: This was deliberately inverted from the beginning - even the pitch included with the first TPB mentions the break from tradition by having more girls than guys. * SoapboxSadie: Gert. She is first shown wanting to join the Communist Club at her school, and correcting her dads Etymology. * {{Soaperizing}}: More time is focused on the various relationships between the teens than fighting evil. The biggest bits of drama tend to hang around relationship troubles between them--especially Nico. * SpinOff: There was a short-lived series about Excelsior, called ''ComicBook/TheLoners'' because StanLee holds copyright on the word "Excelsior". Um, hang on...* SpiritAdvisor: In one arc, [[spoiler:Alex]] anonymously gives the Runaways a few vital clues from [[spoiler:TheNothingAfterDeath.]]* StartingANewLife: The third series opens with the team trying to establish a new home for themselves, having been driven out of the Hostel by Iron Man towards the end of the previous series.* SteamPunk: The Yorkes are rife with it, at least as far as their technology is concerned.* StevenUlyssesPerhero: A mad scientist named [[{{Literature/Frankenstein}} Victor Stein.]]* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: In the first issue of volume two, two unrelated characters comment on the lack of superheroes in LA, "except maybe WonderMan, and he don't count."* SugarAndIcePersonality: Gert with Chase in the first volume. When they get together, it's much warmer. * SuperSerum: Cloak and Dagger's backstory has a power-granting drug as their origin. * SupervillainLair: Multiple Pride lairs have been re-purposed as "Hostels" after the original was destroyed.* SymbolSwearing: Most notably used by Chase at the prenulmenate issue of volume 1, and by Karolina in the climatic battle in the second crossover with Young Avengers* TakeThat: When Molly sees Old Lace for the first time, this exchange happens:-->'''Molly''': You have a dinosaur!-->'''Gert''': Yeah, but it's a friendly dinosaur. Like Barney.-->'''Molly''': I ''hate'' Barney!* TangledFamilyTree: Victor's mere existence causes this with some characters outside of the team. [[spoiler: As Ultron's son he is: Vision's Brother, Wiccan and Speed's Uncle, and Hank Pym's Grandson. And his sister-in-law's brother-in-law's brother is in fact Scott Summers.]] ** [[spoiler: Hank Pym actually comments on this in ''ComicBook/AvengersAcademy'', after telling Victor that he shouldn't call him "Dr. Pym" (since they are 'related') he decides it's better than "Grandpa".]]* TemporaryLoveInterest: [[spoiler: Topher and later Lillie]]* ThanatosGambit: [[spoiler: Alex]] attempts one to bring him back from the dead (though in actuality his friends would be transporting him from a moment before death into the future).* TheirFirstTime: [[spoiler: Nico and Victor]] lose their virginity to one another, [[SexForSolace even though they immediately regret it]].* ThrowAwayCountry: Karolina's [[DoomedHometown homeworld Majesdane]] was nuked by the Skrulls. When Xavin wonders why [[spoiler: Gerts']] death affects the team more, Karolina actually mentions that AMillionIsAStatistic. * TimeForPlanB: Happens so often that at one point Karolina says "We always use plan B. Why don't we just make it plan A?"* TimeTravel: Joss Whedon's arc. Gert's parents are also time travling criminals. * TitleDrop: Pretty frequently. One good example came in Joss Whedon's run. --> ''Nico'': Runaways! Runaway!* TonightSomeoneDies: Twice so far. The first was the good way to execute this trope--lots of twists and turns before a really meaningful death. The second was more gimmicky and DroppedABridgeOnHim. (Protip: the best way to do this is if the death happens near the ''end'' of the arc, rather than the beginning.)* TotallyRadical: Most notably for the use of 'rents instead of parents.* TrueCompanions: The Runaways form a very tight surrogate family after they run from their parents. * TryNotToDie: The Team Motto, and also the {{Trope Namer|s}}.* UnhandThemVillain: Molly dodges this the ''second'' time the team face the Gibborim. "Put her down..and not, like, down your throat."* UnlimitedWardrobe: None of the kids ever seems to wear the same outfit twice.* UnresolvedSexualTension: By the frogload.--->'''Gert''': Sexual tension. Gross.* VancianMagic: Sort of - the Staff of One can perform each spell once and only once. [[LoopholeAbuse Unless]] you can think of a word that causes the same affect, or use the same word but mean something different with it.* VillainDecay: When the Gibborim are first introduced they are powerful, nearly all-knowing fallen angels who were out to destroy the world, and they could've have replaced any members of the Pride, and ultimately kill the entire Pride when they failed them. However, when the Gibborim resurface in the Live Fast storyarc, they are reduced to monsters trapped in a weird purgatory dimension and are completely dependant on mortals bringing them sacrifices just to sustain themselves. And a direct hit from one of their fire blasts (which disentegrated Alex onscreen earlier) merely stuns Xavin this time. Even the kid's mocking attitudes reflect this, with only Victor showing any fear at their presence. And Nico only mentions that they killed Alex as a testament to their power, nothing about them killing the Pride. * VomitDiscretionShot "We can't keep bouncing around like this. Klara just barfed all over Molly."** VomitIndiscretionShot. "Nico, sorry to bug you, [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MollyNotWell.png but I'm really, really not feeling well..."]]*** As well as Chase after [[spoiler:Old Lace saves him from falling to his death after the explosion.]]* VoodooZombies: The Rock Zombies. Although they turn out to be not actually undead, but rather people deformed and mind controlled by Magic. And then there's Dead George Pellham from the 1907 arc.* WellIntentionedExtremist: Subverted. The members of the Pride keep saying that they're building a better future for their children, but it turns out that [[spoiler: they literally mean just the six kids they spawned--the rest of humanity will die if all goes according to plan. Plus, the original deal with the Gibborim was that three of the couples would get to live eternally in paradise, so their motivations were purely selfish to begin with.]] Only the Yorkes seem to genuinely think they're doing the world as a whole a favor.-->'''Stacy Yorkes:''' Before my dolt of a husband totaled our 4-D portico ''permanently,'' we visited ''thousands'' of possible futures, each worse than the last...The next generation deserves something ''new''...and that's exactly what we're going to give them.* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman (addressed and occasionally slightly subverted with [[spoiler:Victor, whom Xavin at one point refers to as "the house android" because he doesn't understand Vic's relationship with the others at that point, which has actually gotten pretty comfortable]] and Xavin, the Skrull GenderBender)* WhamEpisode: Quite a few, especially towards the end of each long arc. ** Volume 1, issue 6: [[spoiler: There's a mole within the team. ]]** Volume 1, issue 13: [[spoiler: The Pride's true motivations are revealed: their serving three gigantic monsters, possibly fallen angels, known as the Gibborim that want to extingish all life on earth, leaving only the six runaways, originally the six members of the pride the Gibborim favored the most before a pregnancy led to a change of plans, to inheret the earth.]]** Volume 1, issue 16: [[spoiler: Alex is revealed to be the Mole, right after gaining possession of the Fistagons, Chase's goggles, the staff of one, and Old Lace.]]** Volume 1, issue 17: [[spoiler: Alex reveals he found out not only what his parents were doing a year ago, but that the Deans and Hayes planned on betraying the rest of the pride, and that he manipulated the team into finding their various equipment and/or ablities. Alex is then quickly dispatched and Molly destroys the vessel for the rite of thunder, leading to the Gibborim destroying The Pride and Alex. ]]** Volume 2, issue 5 [[spoiler: Victor's "father" is revealed to be Ultron, not doom as the previous issue suggested, who promptly takes control of him. ]]** To a lesser extent Issue 6 revealing [[spoiler: Ultron's plans for Victor, that his love for supeheroes was imbedded in him so that he'd become a hero/sleeper agent when he grew up and then slaughter them, as seen in the BadFuture, when a trigger is activated. Also Rick Jones was the one funding excelsior]]** Volume 2, issue 12 [[spoiler: The mysterious figures plotting against the Runaways reveal one of the team will die]]** Volume 2, issue 18 [[spoiler: Gert is KilledOffForReal]]** Volume 2, issue 27 [[spoiler: The mysterious individuals running the Sinners are the Yorkes. ]]* WhiteGangBangers: Parodied in ''Teenage Wasteland'' - Nico complains that the group's disguises make them look the sort of politically correct gang that only shows up in bad TV shows.* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Volume 1, issue #13* WolverinePublicity: Much like the original Marvel teen hero, a majority of the series revolves around them encountering B-villains and having teamups. Many of Marvel's most popular heroes have made cameos in the series, most of whom have some idea about what is best for the teens. When Wolverine himself made an appearance it was only a brief one, but was lampshaded by Comicbook/IronMan (Who was also cameoing) who commented that it was the third time this week the two had run into each other. Soon afterwards, {{Wolverine}} [[TheWorfEffect was beaten up and thrown through a church door by Molly]] after a series of comic misunderstandings and a request to be allowed to touch his hair (Hey, Molly might be smarter than she looks, but she is still a kid, and he is ''Wolverine.'' You would want to touch his hair, too).** The cover of Vol 2. #15 features Ultron, and he does appear...in a nightmare Victor was having. Strangely enough, in the issues in which he ''does'' appear don't feature him in any cover.* TheWorfEffect: Any heavy hitter facing Molly Hayes gets this. She one-punched the Punisher once and Wolverine twice. * WorstAid: Analyzed and played straight. When it looks like [[spoiler: Chase is dead from being held under the water,]] the other kids all throw out different suggestions to bring him back to life, ranging from sucking the water out to the ''heimlich maneuver.'' They do use CPR, but none of them can remember how many compressions to give him. It does cross over into CPRCleanPrettyReliable territory when it brings him back fully even though his heart had been stopped for several minutes.%%* YoureInsane* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Gert has purple hair. She dyes it.* YouHaveFailedMe: Lieutenant Flores in the first volume's last arc, after an unsanctioned attempt to bring in the kids nearly gets them killed [[spoiler: and destroys the first Hostel]]. Alex's dad is waiting for him [[spoiler: when the cops get him out of the rubble]], and is ''not'' happy.--> "Oh thank God. [[TemptingFate I thought I was dead.]]"--> "[[PreMortemOneLiner And for once, you were right.]]" *shotgun** YouWatchTooMuchX: When the team discovers Karolina's powers, Alex suggests her that her Med-Alert bracelet is made of something that inhibits them. He gets halfway through the word "Kryptonite" before Chase cuts him off. "You've been watching too many [[{{Series/Smallville}} WB shows]], bro."* YourVampiresSuck: Ironically aimed at Joss Whedon, who later ended up writing for the book.----